Thursday, July 29, 2010

Two New Titles Published to eHow.com

I have authored two new articles for eHow.com. They are now live on the site:

"How To Tell If There Is a Tracking Device on You"
"How to Locate Lost Mineral Rights"

Other titles approved and soon to be published:

"What Are the Differences Between a Banking System and a Commercial Bank?"
"DIY Quit Claim Deed"

Check them out and leave me five stars--*****. Comments are always welcome at the article site or here on my blog.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Perplexed Parenting Group: Free Help for Bewildered Christian Parents

For Those Rare Days of Parenting

Having parented four children--one into heaven and three into adulthood--I must first say that all four of them have brought unadulterated joy into my life. This joy I would have found in no other way than being their Mom. But, be honest. We have all had one of those rare days when our kids' behavior completely confounded our best efforts.

You may have tried every parenting trick in the book and still stand completely baffled by what you are seeing in your offspring. You may be asking yourself, "Is that my child?" That's when Christian parents need comfort, guidance and a caring response from people who come from a perspective we can appreciate.

The couple behind Perplexed Parenting have been friends of mine for a number of years, although we live in separate states. I turned to my friends at Perplexed Parenting one day recently when I felt completely bamboozled. Why, you ask? ...because I knew they had struggled with their kids too. Know what? They were there for me.

Plastering my discombobulated family life online or in their forum was not a requirement to get their guidance, their prayers, their love and encouragement. They were happy to chat privately by email. It made me feel better to know other parents have struggled on those rare days too. What a wonderful resource and sounding board the Perplexed Parenting founders are for those rare times when parenting your family leaves your somewhat mystified.

Make the connection with Perplexed Parenting today and enjoy their brief but frequent encouragements. Because one of those rare days may strike when you least expect it. You may find yourself completely stunned--a fully perplexed parent.

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Monday, July 26, 2010

"Homeschool Art Activities" Article Now Live on eHow.com

My latest article published on eHow.com is entitled "Homeschool Art Activities".  Those interested may visit for exposure to some great ideas on doing art activities in your homeschool. 

More articles coming soon on eHow.com:  (approved but not yet published)

DIY Quit Claim Deed
How to Tell if a Tracking Device is on You

Be sure to leave me five stars while you are there! Feel free to discuss in the forum there or here on my blog. I love hearing from my blog readers.

Malinda Zellman



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Saturday, July 24, 2010

Malinda Zellman Now a Writer for Demand Studios

It's official! I am now a Writer for Demand Studios which provides online content for some of the largest websites online such as eHow.com, Livestrong.com, Gardenguide.com, Answerbag.com and more. It is competitive becoming a Demand Studios writer, so I rejoiced when they accepted my application. So far I have had five articles approved for use on eHow.com.  Three have been published, so take a look.  You may leave a comment at the article site of here on my blog. Let me hear from you! 


Coming soon:

"Homeschool Art Activities"
"How to Tell if There is a Tracking Device on You" 


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Friday, July 23, 2010

Who Do You Write Like? Free Tool Tells You in Seconds

David Foster WallaceImage by Steve Rhodes via Flickr
Here's a fun site for anyone who enjoys writing. Called "I Write Like", you copy and paste a few paragraphs you have written on any topic. It starts crunching and in a matter of seconds pops up with the name of the famous writer whose writing your writing most resembles. 

Me? I apparently write like David Foster Wallace. Unfamiliar with Wallace until they named him, brief research at amazon.com showed him as a brainy/philosophical Harvard alumni with best sellers. He writes both novels and essay collections.

It is easy to research what a famous author writes by searching their name on amazon.com.  Then, you can read samples of their published work online. I could see how my writing is similar to his essays. Cool tool! Give it a try. It is completely free, very telling, and, in my case, pretty accurate.

http://www.iwl.me/

Have fun and please post a comment telling us whose writing your writing resembles. What did you make of it? We would love to hear from you. Were they right?
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Goodwill Helps People Find Jobs


While working a temporary government job recently, I was asked to come to the Goodwill Job Center in Leesburg, FL for our day of job training.  While there, I discovered a treasure trove of helps for anyone unemployed.  Because we were using Goodwill's classroom space in their Job Center, "Miss Linda" who works at this Goodwill Job Center gave us a quick rundown of what services are available through them. Like she said, after we were done with this temporary assignment, we would all be unemployed again, so she wanted us to know how they could help.

While we were on break from training, I spoke to Miss Linda who told me about her 3-day workshop. She offers these every month to help the unemployed learn how to write a resume, fill out an application, dress for success, manage your money and conduct an effective interview. They even videotaped our mock interviews and replayed them so we could see what we and our new friends in class were doing right or wrong while mock interviewing. 

This workshop was extremely helpful to me, so I wanted to share it with all of you.  It was not only informative but fun.  At the same time, we were all gaining confidence in our career development skills.  If you know someone looking for a career or who needs to make a career change, I highly recommend the Goodwill Job Center.

While the government unemployment centers and their staffs are completely overwhelmed right now, Goodwill is flourishing in this economy. They use their profits to offer all these services free of charge to anyone who wishes to take advantage of them.  Thank you Goodwill! 

Besides the workshops, the site where I went has a bank of computers you can use for job searches. They offer computer classes if you need to brush up on your computer skills. They have a bank of telephones if you need a quiet place to make calls to potential employers. Best of all, it has happy, helpful staff including "Miss Linda" who cheers you on in your quest to improve your life.  Highly recommended!

To find the Goodwill Job Center nearest you, click on the title of this article.  You can enter your zip code in their website to find the closest location to your home. 

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Saturday, July 3, 2010

Statement Rings: Visit Jewelers Elegance for Hard-to-Find Designer Rings by Laura Paige:


A "statement ring" is THE buzzword in fashion circles.  Visit lookville.com and you will hear it over and over from their advisors.  "You need a statement ring to make that outfit sing, girl." 

Statement rings make a statement by their very presence - usually because of their size, heft or breathtaking elegance of design.  Much like you, they have attitude.
  
Here are a few example of the Statement Rings you will find at Jewelers Elegance...






Natural Citrine with White Topaz Accents
18 kt Yellow Gold over Sterling Silver

To see all your choices, visit Jewelers Elegance now!


Lime Quartz, Citrine with White Topaz
18 kt Yellow Gold over Sterling Silver  
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What Every Parent Should Know About Underage Drinking

According to the Office of National Drug Control’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, “Many kids start drinking in middle school. In fact, one out of every two eighth graders has tried alcohol. Additionally, more kids use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs and more children are killed by alcohol than all illegal drugs combined.” This is one reason why parents need to learn the signs and symptoms of a young person’s drinking.

Because alcohol lowers people’s inhibitions, teens tend to make bad decisions once they start to drink. Statistics show that approximately 5,000 young people under 21 are dying each year as a result of underage drinking. A website dedicated to providing parents with the information to raise drug-free kids, www.theantidrug.com, says there are 1,900 alcohol related deaths in motor vehicle accidents, 1,600 homicides, 300 suicides and hundreds of falls, burns and drownings.

It is simple. Our teens do things while drunk that they would not do if they were sober. These statistics do not account for increased injuries, school or work problems, teen pregnancies, sexual assaults, or any other number of serious complications that result more often when alcohol and teenagers mix. These are just the number of deaths attributed to teenage drinking.

But, detecting teenage alcohol use is tricky. Almost every teen has been known to have a change in their sleeping habits, show mood changes, cock an attitude, throw a temper outburst, and change friends--maybe all in the course of one week. Yet these are all signs of underage drinking. Alcohol shows differently in different people, so you may see any variety of changes in your teen. Try to perceive what is normal versus unusual for your child. Just because you see one change, it does not necessarily mean they are drinking, but if you start to see a pattern of a number of the items listed below, you may be onto something. To stay on top of things, parents must be alert to more subtle signals such as:

Emotional Changes

Do you see signs of depression or withdrawal?

Hostility or difficulty getting along with their friends?

Is your teen uncharacteristically passive?

Or, are they combative or argumentative lately?

Irritability is also an indicator.

Physical Changes

Teens may have losses of memory or blackouts associated with their drinking.

Is your teen vomiting?

Do they avoid coming near you after they have been out?

More specifically, do they make a mad dash for the bathroom to shower, brush their teeth and use mouthwash before speaking to you?

Once teens start drinking they may be more careless with grooming, paying little attention to their appearance.

If they have always been into sports, are they still playing sports?

Are you detecting any unusual breath odor?

Do you notice any drunken behavior, glazed eyes, or unexplained bruises and accidents? You may see flushed skin, swollen or puffy eyes, or bloodshot eyes.

Is your child using incense, room deodorizers or perfume to hide odors?

What about teens who suddenly start using mouthwash or popping breath mints?

Are they wearing clothes, hats or collecting other trivia that promote alcohol products? Are they using eye drops to reduce the red eyes?

Is your teen having difficulty focusing?

Social Changes

How are things going at school? Are the grades holding up?

If they work, are they having any problems at work?

Are they having problems with absenteeism, especially on Mondays?

Peer group changes are important indicators. Know who your kids are hanging out with.

Are you noticing secrecy about their possessions?

Or, secrecy about their activities?

What about their need to have secret conversations with their friends?

Have they been borrowing money more than usual?

According to theantidrug.com website, alcohol is only legal for those that are 21 year of age. Alcohol is a depressant which is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly and stays in the body for a few hours. The bloodstream carries it to all the body’s organs, so the entire body is affected - the brain, stomach, muscles, liver, kidneys and more. This explains why the list of physical changes is long. But, keep in mind that teenagers are still growing and developing. Alcohol use can actually affect their brains.

I want your feedback. If you learned from this article or have additional signs or symptoms other parents can watch for in their offspring which are not listed here, please leave a comment below. It will help other parents. 

To learn more about alcohol abuse in teens or to learn what you can do to prevent your teen from drinking, go to:

http://www.theantidrug.com/drug-information/commonly-abused-drugs/alcohol.aspx

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/teenparentingtips/a/04_teen_alcohol.htm

http://www.psychiatric-disorders.com/articles/warning-signs/teenage-drinking.php


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